Thread: Stropping Technique - Advice Sought

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I'm new to this (5 weeks) but I'd agree with the comments about how taught the strop is; I hold mine MUCH more taught than that, mine hardly curves at all. It's hard to tell how much pressure you're using, but I use VERY little pressure, I also go quite a bit slower. I find that I need to force myself to concentrate. I do 30 linen, 70 leather, and sometimes find my mind wanders a bit. It's a bit like meditation, making sure you concentrate on ONLY the stropping; keeping the strop taught, keeping the blade perpendicular to the edge (I don't use an x pattern; my strop is narrow so I do an end at a time (toe end in contact, flip, toe end in contact, flip, heel end in contact, flip, heel end in contact, flip, etc) and keeping the pressure light..
Hope this helps.

I recall seeing in one of the stropping videos where you run your palm or heel of your hand up and down the leather to warm it a bit to condition the leather before stropping the razor.

Originally Posted by pmburk

I recall seeing in one of the stropping videos where you run your palm or heel of your hand up and down the leather to warm it a bit to condition the leather before stropping the razor.

Yes, Running the palm of your "unwashed" hand up and down a leather strop will help to condition the leather, as well as "warm" it up a bit before use.
You want to make sure your hand is NOT freshly washed prior to doing so. You need the natural oils in your skin. This is the only conditioning I do to my strops.

Originally Posted by zib

Yes, Running the palm of your "unwashed" hand up and down a leather strop will help to condition the leather, as well as "warm" it up a bit before use.
You want to make sure your hand is NOT freshly washed prior to doing so. You need the natural oils in your skin. This is the only conditioning I do to my strops.

Same here, I have had my strop for about three months and it's a nice dark brown from my hand oils.

Is that your main/only strop? I'm only asking because it looked like a beauty and barber 3" ?

I really don't like being the bearer of bad news but If that is a beauty and barber and your using it as you main strop it may cause some problems by it self..

They are a very hard and not a very good strop. You could damage your razor by using one of those.... (not saying you will)

Before joining SRP i purchased one not knowing the quality and it went in the bin the day i received it, but not before i cut it in half to see if it was actually leather or reconstituted leather.. I'm 95% sure they are reconstituted leather not a solid piece of leather. Its either that or they condition them with cement..


B&B LEATHER STROP 3"

Originally Posted by Brighty83

Is that your main/only strop? I'm only asking because it looked like a beauty and barber 3" ?

I really don't like being the bearer of bad news but If that is a beauty and barber and your using it as you main strop it may cause some problems by it self..

They are a very hard and not a very good strop. You could damage your razor by using one of those.... (not saying you will)

Before joining SRP i purchased one not knowing the quality and it went in the bin the day i received it, but not before i cut it in half to see if it was actually leather or reconstituted leather.. I'm 95% sure they are reconstituted leather not a solid piece of leather. Its either that or they condition them with cement..


B&B LEATHER STROP 3"

I wish I knew more about this strop.

I think the OP has a Illinois Razor strop
and will be fine. He can correct me ....

A stiff new strop should be used like a balsa strop. Pull it tight light
and deliberate smooth strop strokes. Those of us with a DMT to
lap our hones can also rough up and clean up the surface of a
cheap strop with with the same DMT and then apply a thin
layer of strop dressing. Some can also wrap a strop with news print
to practice. Small nicks on news print... who cares.
For some news print does a fine job as a strop and works as well for
them sometimes replacing the want or need for a pasted strop.